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Colombian gov't, FARC to announce historic peace deal: president

Xinhua, August 25, 2016 Adjust font size:

Colombia's government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group are about to announce a peace deal ending five decades of fighting, President Juan Manuel Santos said on Wednesday.

"Today I hope to give the country historic news," Santos said at an official event, according to Colombia's RCN Radio.

He added that government negotiators and leftist rebels were putting the final touches on a historic peace deal they hope to announce in the coming hours.

Santos is expected to address the nation at 7 p.m. local time, according to an announcement by his staff.

The deal, once reached, must still be approved by Congress and by referendum before taking effect.

Late Tuesday, government and FARC negotiators said they were working round-the-clock in Cuba to reach a final agreement and conclude the peace talks.

The government negotiating team posted a picture of the two delegations smiling following a more than 12-hour session.

"The day is at hand, we're opening the path to reaching a peace deal," the team said on Twitter.

Meanwhile, some FARC representatives, including top leader Timoleon Jimenez, are cautioning on social media that details remain to be worked out.

"Ready to begin another round of discussions and get closer to reaching a peace deal," Jimenez posted to Twitter early Wednesday.

Earlier this month both sides announced a UN supervised protocol and timetable to implement ceasefire and disarmament agreements signed in June by Jimenez and Santos in Cuba, where the peace talks have been held since November 2012.

A peace deal would commit Colombia's government to carrying out aggressive land reform, reorient its anti-narcotics strategy and protect demobilized rebels and leftist activists, who have traditionally been targeted by right-wing paramilitary groups.

The conflict in Colombia has killed more than 220,000 people and displaced millions since 1964. Enditem